


Agree to Disagree

by TheSaltiestDog



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Batsupes Secret Valentines Exchange 2021, Established Relationship, First Dates, Idiots in Love, M/M, Or disagreeing about first dates, fuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29725824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSaltiestDog/pseuds/TheSaltiestDog
Summary: Bruce and Clark tend to disagree on a lot of things, it's not surprising they'd have different answers for what counted as their first date.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 12
Kudos: 116
Collections: Batsupes Secret Valentines Exchange 2021





	Agree to Disagree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Firondoiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firondoiel/gifts).



> Written for the Batsupes Secret Valentines Exchange 2021, Prompt #2:
> 
> Prompt: Bruce and Clark have very different opinions on what counts as their first “official date”  
> Rating of Fic Preferred: Any  
> Up to Four Deal-Breakers: Unhappy ending  
> I especially enjoy: Some fluff, two dinguses in love, feel free to turn this into smut if you want but it’s not a requirement

Bruce was drifting, his eyes almost shut against the bright screen of the tv. The dialogue from the movie mixed with the chatter from his children was slowly lulling him to sleep. The theatre room hasn’t seen much use in the past few months, an issue that Dick sought to fix with the help of Alfred and his enforced bed rest for Bruce. A bad run in with Bane the night before left him with a few cracked ribs, extensive bruising all over his body and a dislocated shoulder. Essentially, Bruce is grounded until his injuries pass Alfred's and Leslie’s inspection.

Hence the movie night. Usually Bruce loved spending time with his children, but his injuries and choice of movie has him fighting to stay awake. Since this was Dick's idea, it was his choice and he chose a romantic comedy that Bruce hasn’t heard of before. He was close to completely falling asleep before he felt an arm nudge him in the side.

“Hey B, what was your first date with Clark like?” 

Bruce grunted at the prodding elbow, cracking open an eye to squint at his eldest. The mischievous look on his face almost made him want to shut them again and ignore the question.

“Tt. No one wants to hear that story, Grayson,” Damian grumbled. “Father has more important things on his mind than the alien.”

Bruce looked over at the screen and understood why Dick was asking him about his first date with Clark. It seemed like the movie had progressed to a scene where the two characters were at dinner, presumingly on their first date. He flicked his eyes back to Dick, face almost too close and excitement barely contained. Bruce tried to make eye contact with any of his other children to try and avoid talking about his love life, but it looked like they were fine with leaving him to suffer. 

Clark was an unexpected surprise in his life, what started as an unwelcome and begrudging friendship slowly developed into tentative love. Now, Bruce knows he isn’t the easiest to love, but Clark made it seem so effortless. He knew when to leave him alone and when to be near. But he never pushed, always asking if he could come into Bruce’s space. Always respecting his boundaries. It fills him with such warmth that he closes his eyes to savour the feeling.

“Come on Bruce, I know you’re not that tired.” Dick gently shook Bruce’s uninjured arm, a whine in his voice. “Did you pull out the Brucie charm or were you more of your natural, brooding self?”

The corners of his mouth turned down, displeased at the direction of the conversation. But knowing that Dick wouldn't leave him alone until he got the story out of him, Bruce let out a small sigh and gave in.

"Please, the old man probably spent their first date punching third rate criminals in the face with Supes. And Big Blue probably agreed to it just to be polite," Jason laughed. Bruce sent him a withering look at his unwanted input. 

Jason raised an eyebrow before flicking popcorn towards the two, smirk firmly in place.

Bruce let the snack bounce harmlessly off his head and slowly sat up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and carefully stretched to prolong answering. Noticing all of his sons watching him, Bruce decided to just bite the bullet and then head off to bed to avoid further embarrassment.

"Well if you must know, our first date was at Bamonte's," Bruce mumbled.

Before he could head upstairs, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Unsurprisingly, he was being held hostage by his eldest who was looking at him with such disappointment. Bruce tried not to sigh, he really wanted to sleep.

"Wait, what do you mean-- Bruce. Bamonte's?" Dick gave him a scandalous look, eyebrows almost touching his hairline. "The same Bamonte's owned by the Maroni crime family? The same Bamonte's you and Clark went to for an undercover cover dinner date?"

Bruce was starting to lose his patience. Dick should know the answers to these questions, he was there when he and Clark went over their plans. He even suggested that they make it look like a date. It wasn't suspicious for playboy Bruce Wayne to be seen with a new date, even if it was with a man. Gotham learned a long time ago that gender didn't matter much to him. 

"Yes Dick --"

"Wait a minute." Jason quickly abandoned his popcorn to scramble over blankets and pillows to make his way over to the two. The curse Tim threw at him suggested Jason also stepped on him on the way over. "You're telling me the World's Finest had their first date at a mob restaurant?"

Bruce couldn't keep the scowl off of his face any longer. Honestly, they're as bad as Alfred was when he found out that Bruce took so long to ask Clark out properly. He loved his family, very dearly, but some days he wanted to climb into the Batmobile and just keep driving.

"Yes Jason, the very same one." He paused to shake his wrist free. "It fits the criteria for a date." 

Jason moved to sit in the empty seat next to Bruce, head propped up in his hand. "Yeah but was it really your first with Supes? You know I was joking about punishing criminals as potential dates right?"

"Bruce, even I know that's not a great first date," Tim said from his mess of blankets. "And didn't you say that was a mission? Does that even count?"

"Exactly! It was for a mission so it doesn't!" Dick exclaimed. He seemed energized now that his brothers were willing to side with him on the matter. 

"I don't understand why this is so important," Damian scoffed. "The alien should be grateful that Father even wanted to spend time with him."

"Well Clark's company is much more preferable than most in this house," Tim shot back from his nest of blankets.

"We all know why you like having the alien around, Drake," Damian sneered, "you get to spend time with the clone."

Tim looked back over his shoulder to give Damian the driest look he could manage while swaddled in blankets. 

"Once again, preferable company."

"I think we're getting distracted here boys." Jason brought his hands together and pointed towards Bruce with his pointer fingers. "And that is Bruce doesn't have a single romantic bone in his entire body."

Bruce could feel his temper rising. It wasn't uncommon for his children to tease him, but for some reason he wasn't in the mood for it tonight. 

Maybe because it was about Clark.

The arguments and raised voices slowly turned into white noise as Bruce tried to sort through his tangled thoughts. Normally he would agree with Jason, the only time he needed to be romantic was when Brucie needed to woo his newest date. But it was never genuine, they didn't mean anything to him, just another means to an end to ensure Batman survived. 

So yes, romance doesn't come naturally or easy to Bruce. But honestly, with Clark it was so simple. Bruce would lean into his lingering touches, welcome them even on a bad day. Clark would lend an ear on difficult cases and hold him through his nightmares. Clark was his anchor in the chaos that is his life.

Yet, why did it take him so long to ask Clark out on a date? But before he could spend another moment on this, Alfred entered the room with a polite cough.

"Sirs, it seems like the bat signal has been lit."

Without another word his boys raced each other to the cave. Bruce shook his head fondly as the sounds of rough housing echoed down the halls.

"And it's off to bed for yourself, Master Bruce." Alfred reminded him as he went about cleaning the now abandoned room. Making sure to give him a rather pointed look.

Bruce tried not to fidget, much like he did as a child around Alfred. He knows that he should rest now that the boys have gone on patrol, but every instinct in him tells him to watch the monitors. To make sure his birds come back safely, especially since he won't be out there with them. 

"I was thinking of keeping an eye on the boys for a couple of hours," Bruce replied, hoping he didn't sound too much like Damian when he wanted to stay out longer on patrol. Judging by Alfred's raised eyebrow, he probably failed.

"Hmm, just a couple of hours then it's off to bed." Alfred gave him a stern look, one that promised repercussions if he didn't listen.

Bruce tried not to run as he made his way to the cave.

….

The curtains swayed in the cold night air, displaced by the man landing on the balcony. Bruce spared Clark a glance, watching as the moonlight spilled over his frame. He looked ethereal, the bold colours of his homeworld bright even in the cover of night. But what really made Bruce's heart stutter was the smile Clark gave him as he walked further into their room.

When Clark finally reached the bed, he leaned down and brushed the loose hair away from Bruce's face. Clark placed a gentle kiss to his forehead before moving down to his lips. Though the kiss was brief, Bruce couldn't help but close his eyes to savour it.

Bruce didn't notice how tense he was, the discussion with the boys earlier bothering him much more than he realized. But with Clark here, he could feel himself slowly start to relax. The tension in his body melted away, his shoulders sinking inch by inch. 

"How are you doing sweetheart? Are you feeling any better since this morning?"

Instead of answering, Bruce slowly sank his face into Clark's chest. This just made the Kryptonian laugh before bringing his hands up to rub up and down his partner's back. 

"Just let me get changed and you can tell me all about it," Clark laughed, pressing one more kiss on top of Bruce's head.

They slowly untangled themselves and Bruce watched as Clark walked around their room, grabbing his comfortable clothes before making his way to the bathroom.

While Clark went about getting ready for bed, Bruce was left to think about Dick's question. He and Clark hadn't been a couple for very long, years of friendship as Batman and Superman and then as Bruce and Clark made it very easy to be around each other. Their routines didn't change all that much, the only difference was that Clark made his way to Bruce's bed most nights now. 

Dates were never important for Bruce. Sure he liked to spend time with Clark, but they already see each other almost daily. He didn't think the Kansas farm boy would appreciate being followed by the paparazzi, or see his face on the cover of the next issue of the Gotham Gazette. So no, Bruce never thought to ask Clark out on an official date. At least not yet.

Therefore, their first date would have been at Bamonte's. It fit the criteria for a date, finely tailored suits, a nice car, dinner and drinks (which Bruce insisted he pay for) and each other's company. The breaking and entering into one of the manager offices isn't typical date practice but Clark didn't seem to mind. He was even more than willing to come up with a distraction to let Bruce slip away.

It might not have been a standard date, but Bruce genuinely enjoyed himself. The playful glint in his partner's eyes as he stole bites of food off his plate, the surprised laugh that escaped his own mouth at a particularly bad joke. And the soft looks Clark would give him when he thought Bruce wasn't paying attention. Honestly, Bruce couldn't have asked for a better first date.

He looked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening, light spilling into the otherwise dark room. He watched as Clark brushed his teeth, eyes crinkling as he gave Bruce a foamy smile. Bruce tried to hold in his laughter, deciding to scoff at Clark's silliness instead. 

He tried to get comfortable, shifting ever so slightly and rearranging the pillows behind him. No matter how hard Bruce tried to relax, his thoughts kept drifting back to the question from earlier. The more he tried to forget about it, the stronger his mind latched on. Knowing he wouldn't sleep until it was resolved, Bruce took a deep, calming breath.

"What was our first date?"

Clark's head popped out of the bathroom, an eyebrow raised in question as he swished mouthwash. When it became apparent that Bruce was serious, Clark quickly ducked back inside to finish his nightly routine. With nothing to do but wait, Bruce sank further back into his nest of pillows and sighed. 

A slight twinge from his ribs reignited his annoyance, Bruce absolutely detested bedrest. The thought of missing patrol due to his body's limitations always put him in a bad mood and tonight's event wasn't making it any better.

"If you keep frowning like that you won't need the cowl to scare criminals anymore," Clark teased.

Bruce blinked open his eyes, he didn't even notice that he closed them. The usual sounds of Clark getting ready for bed and the soft glow from the bathroom light was so common now that it was soothing. His heart gave a painful thump at the thought, for once not because of any injury.

That fact that after everything they've been through, of Clark seeing Bruce at his absolute worst, all of their arguments, and Clark still decided to stay. He still looked at Bruce and saw someone worth loving. And Bruce couldn't even show him the bare minimum and ask him out on a date. 

Bruce was pulled from his thoughts as Clark's concerned eyes met his. He watched as careful hands reached up to cradle his face, a thumb stroking his cheek.

"What's going on, B?" Clark asked. His voice a whisper, as if Bruce was a spooked animal about to bolt. "Does it have something to do with our first date?"

Bruce could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. He regrets bringing up the question now that Clark has his undivided attention on him. Rather than answer Bruce went back to rearranging his pillows, even though they were just as he liked them. 

Clark let his face slide from his hands and watched him for a moment, a contemplative look in his eyes. Without saying anything else he slowly moved the pillows to the side of the bed. Ignoring the questioning looks Bruce was giving him, Clark used a bit of his strength to move Bruce and slide in behind him.

"What are you doing, Clark?"

"Well it seems the pillows aren't up to your standards, so as your boyfriend I thought I'd be useful." Clark carefully maneuvered Bruce, mindful of his injuries. Once satisfied, he wrapped his arms around Bruce's waist and tugged until he was resting comfortably against his chest.

"Alfred told me you should try to sleep upright for the next few nights at least." Clark squeezed just a bit tighter and placed his chin on Bruce's shoulder. "We don't have to talk, but if you want to I'm here to listen." 

"Hmm"

The years they've spent around each other make it easier, even if words aren't spoken. Clark doesn't push him, knowing how hard this is for Bruce. They sit quietly for a few minutes, comfortable in each other's warmth and closeness. Bruce eventually grasps Clark's hands as something to do and breathes along with him. Clark shifts every now and again, the rustle of blankets and their breathing the only sounds in the dark room. 

"Dick asked me about our first date today," Bruce whispered. At the sound of his voice Clark lifted his head but still avoided his eyes.

"And what did you tell him?" Clark asked. Bruce turned his head just enough to catch the small smile on his lips. He could feel the embarrassment burn and creep up his neck. He's never been more grateful for the cover of night, though with Clark it's never made much of a difference.

Bruce chewed on his bottom lip and looked down at their joined hands. He didn't want to say it, didn't want Clark to find out how bad he was at this. At telling and showing the person he loved how much he meant to him.

"Well, I'll tell you what I remember." Clark nuzzled into Bruce's neck, hands sliding underneath his shirt and skimming over bandages. "There was a little hole in the wall diner that had the best burgers. Opened late, nicest waitress who seemed pretty smitten with you, Mr.Heartbreaker. But I can't be mad, she does have immaculate taste," Clark laughed, oblivious to the distress his partner was in. "After getting kicked out of Bamonte's, it was nice to unwind."

Bruce froze, heart in his throat as he remembered. He should have known Clark wouldn't be impressed by over priced entrees and high class dining, the man did grow up in Kansas. 

"Of course it was the diner," Bruce mumbled. He tried to subtly move Clark's hands away from his waist and leave the conversation, but it seemed like his partner had other plans.

"Well yeah, it was the first time we went out together that wasn't for a gala or a mission," Clark explained with only a touch of nervousness. "Wait, what did you think was our first date then?"

Bruce decided this wasn't the time for subtlety and doubled his efforts to escape. 

"I need to go back down to the cave, I'm supposed to be checking in with the boys." He managed to unwrap the warm arms from his body, but Clark wasn't letting him off the hook that easy.

"Wait a minute-- Bruce, stop wiggling around! I mean it you--" Clark sputtered, trying to get a good grip.

Bruce used every bit of his training to try and escape from the Kryptonian. The bed soon became a battleground with rumpled sheets and the small pile of pillows now lay scattered on the floor. Bruce almost managed to make a run for it, until he twisted a little too far.

He let out a sharp hiss of pain and paused for a split second. But it was all Clark needed to grab him and spin them around. Bruce will admit, Clark's control over his powers is something to admire. Even flat on his back after being manhandled, he wasn't any worse for wear. Other than what he did to himself.

"So, want to tell me what that was about?" 

"No."

Clark sighed, giving Bruce the saddest look he could muster. God he hated when Clark did that. Bruce looked away, he wasn't going to embarrass himself while looking his partner in the eye.

"The boys reminded me about how inept I am in romance tonight," Bruce said. He put a hand over Clark's mouth when he noticed the other was going to comment.

"I thought our first date was the mission at Bamonte's and they were very happy to tell me that in fact, it was not."

With that now out in the open Bruce waited for Clark to say something. When the silence stretched on, Bruce chanced a look up and nearly threw his partner out of their bed. The Kryptonian was laughing. Suddenly enraged, Bruce used his hand still covering Clark's mouth to shove him away.

"Get out," Bruce growled, glare fully in place as Clark's laughter finally spilled out. 

"No honey wait, I'm sorry for laughing! Just give me a minute to--" Clark was cut off as a pillow smacked into his face. This in fact, just caused him to laugh harder.

Face red in either anger or embarrassment, Bruce managed to get out from under Clark. He just made it to the edge of the bed before a set of arms circled back around his waist, trapping him again.

"I'm sorry for laughing, honest," Clark apologized. Noticing that his boyfriend was still upset, Clark gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. He smiled when Bruce relaxed into his hold.

"You know that I don't care about our first date, right?" 

Clark made his way off the bed to stand in front of his grumpy bat, face once again cradled in his hands. As he looked into Bruce's eyes, he began to notice the dark shadows underneath them and feel the beginnings of scruff growing in. He sighed as he brushed his thumbs over those shadows. 

"Really? You're fine with your sorry excuse for a partner not remembering our first date?" Bruce gave a small smile, looking up at him with tired eyes.

"Oh hush now, I won't have you speaking badly about my boyfriend like that. I happen to love him very much, faults and all," Clark chided him, placing another soft kiss on the top of his head.

"Stop that," Bruce grunted, pushing his face away.

"Don't worry honey, I won't tell anyone the Big Bad Bat loves kisses," Clark laughed. "But honestly Bruce, I don't care if you tell people our first date was at Bamonte's because as long as I can keep going on dates with you, it doesn't matter."

Bruce could feel his face heating up again, his heart rate picking up (something Clark must have noticed going by the smirk on his face). Dealing with his emotions is something Bruce dreads or has just ignored in the past. So with all this attention focused on him and Clark spewing romantic sap, he needed a change of subject quick.

"So you agree then, that our first date was at Bamonte's and you willingly thought I was worth breaking a couple laws for?" Bruce deflected.

Clark stared at him, eyes huge and mouth slightly open. 

"Wh-what? No! I was just trying to be nice!" Clark argued, hands up in the air in protest. "And what do you mean 'break a couple laws'? If I remember correctly you were doing the actual law breaking." Clark turned to point an accusing finger at Bruce's smug face.

Bruce used this moment to grasp Clark's hand and pull him back towards him. He placed those strong, gentle hands he loved so much on his shoulders and grabbed a handful of that awful plaid. He pulled lightly, signaling for Clark to come closer. 

Clark begrudgingly relented, sliding back into the space between Bruce's legs and placed his forehead against the other's. Scarred arms slid up to his neck to rest gently on his shoulders, a stray hand slowly carding through his black locks. 

"Semantics, you call it law breaking I call it necessary. It helped put away Sal Maroni did it not? Besides," Bruce tightened his grip on Clark's hair, tilting his head back until he could mouth at his neck. "It got me a date with this handsome journalist I've had my eye on for awhile now."

He heard Clark sigh, relaxing as Bruce moved on from his throat to nibble at his jaw. Eventually he made it to Clark's mouth, kissing the corner before meeting his lips. Clark groaned in appreciation, eagerly returning the kiss. 

Bruce was gently lowered to the bed, his partner climbing on top of him without breaking their kiss. He slid his hands under Clark's shirt, running his fingers over defined muscles. But before things could escalate, the warm body above him vanished.

Opening his eyes, Bruce glared at the Kryptonian just slightly out of reach.

"Sorry B, Leslie said no strenuous activities until your ribs heal." Clark winked, going around picking up the forgotten pillows and placed them back on the bed. Bruce huffed and crossed his arms in annoyance. His ribs did protest with the added pressure, maybe Clark did have a point.

Once the bed was remade, Clark stood in front of Bruce once more, hand out and a smile on his face. Sighing in defeat, Bruce accepted the hand up. The two of them moved to the centre of the bed, Clark settling behind Bruce once again. 

With both men comfortably nestled in the blankets and pillows, sleep was quick to follow. 

…

Bruce slowly opened his eyes, only to immediately shut them. The early morning sunlight was streaming into the room and he groaned in annoyance. He's going to give Clark an earful for forgetting to shut the curtains last night. Not everyone ran off of sunlight like Kryptonians, or plants. 

Now that he was for the most part awake, Bruce noticed the ache in his ribs. It seemed sometime during the night he ended up laying down, which was odd considering he remembered falling asleep against Clark's chest. But looking next to him proved that his partner wasn't in bed, and hadn't been for a while. 

Just as he was about to call for Clark, said man came through the bedroom door with what looks to be breakfast. Bruce merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Good morning sunshine, how are your injuries doing this morning?"

"Don't call me that," Bruce grunted, voice still rough from sleep. He slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What's this?"

Clark placed the tray of food down on the night stand and grabbed a mug of coffee. He sat down next to Bruce, handing him the coffee and placing a kiss to the side of his head.

"It's breakfast. After our talk yesterday, it got me thinking about how we haven't been on a date in awhile," Clark informed him. "So I thought, what's an easy date idea that won't have you leave the manor?"

"Breakfast in bed? A bit cliche don't you think?" Bruce hid his smile in his mug, taking a deep sip and savoring the warmth. 

"Just humor me, please?" Clark gave him those sad puppy eyes again. Bruce made the mistake of looking up, watching as the sun hit them just right to make them shine like stars. 

He doesn't know what he did to deserve Clark Kent, but he's grateful all the same.

Bruce watched over the rim of his mug as the love of his life prepared a plate of bacon, eggs and toast for him. He noticed how the tip of Clark's tongue would poke out as arranged freshly cut flowers into a vase, or how meticulous he counted out the pain medication.

"I love you, Clark Kent."

Clark turned to look at him, eyes wide and flowers slipping out of his hands. Bruce surprised himself with his outburst, never thinking he would be the first one to say those words. For the longest time he didn't think he'd be able to say them at all. But thinking back on their history and how long they've known each other, he couldn't find it in himself to retract the words. He meant them. 

Once it seemed that the words sunk in, a huge smile spread across Clark's face that lit up his entire being. Leaving breakfast for now, he crawled onto the bed and towards Bruce. He took the mug of coffee out of his hands and placed it down next to the tray, to place a tender kiss onto Bruce's lips.

"I love you too, Bruce Wayne."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you enojyed this Firondoiel!


End file.
